Groundwater province is an area or region in which geology and climate combine to produce groundwater conditions consistent enough to permit useful generalisations.

1. Groundwater Provinces in
India
U.S. Arvin Joshyn,
II - M.Sc. Applied Geology,
DEPT OF GEOLOGY
PERIYAR UNIVERSITY
SALEM , TAMILNADU

2. Introduction:
• Groundwater Province:
Groundwater province is an area or region in which geology
and climate combine to produce groundwater conditions consistent
enough to permit useful generalizations.
• The prevalent rock formations, ranging in age from the Archaean to the
recent, control the occurence & movement of groundwater.
• The topography and rainfall virtually control runoff and groundwater
recharge.

3. Introduction (Cont.)
• High relief areas - high runoff.
• Alluvial tract - high yielding aquifers.
• Peninsula - near surface weathered mantle.
• Hard rock terrain - deep weathered pediments, abandoned river
channels.
• Coastal, estuaries and deltaic tracts form linear strip around
peninsular India.

4. Significant factors control Ground
Water resources:
• Climate
• Relief features/ topography,
• Geological structures & hydrological setup.

6. Precambrian Crystalline Province:
• It covers Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharastra, Karnataka,
Bundelkhand and Aravalli ranges.
• It forms discontinous water bearing formations,
• Weathered parts of Precambrian Granite, gneiss and metamorphic
rock.
• Poor yield of upto 20 - 200 cu.m/ day.

7. Precambrian Sedimentary Province:
• Confined to Cuddapah, Vindhyan, Raipur, and Western Rajasthan
basins.
• Comprises of sandstones, conglomerate, limestone & slate,
• Rocks are compact and non porous,
• Secondary porosity yield water and the yield is 5 - 200 cu.m/ day

8. Gondwana Sedimentary Province:
• Barakar & Godavari river basins;
• Good in sandstone & poor in shale;
• Surrounded by crystalline rocks;
• Total formation - 6 - 7m thick;
• L. Gondwana - devoid of groundwater;
• U. Gondwana - good yield.

9. Deccan trap Province:
• 1200m thick impermeable basalt;
• Aquifers: i) structures by sec. porosity & fractures
ii) intertrappean beds
iii) contact zones b/w two beds, vesicles and amygdales.
Red boles yield water but cause problems during drilling.

10. Cenozoic Sedimentary Province:
• Tertiary sandtones of Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat
coasts have good yield;
• In east coast seaward dipping strata contain several artesian
aquifers.
• Springs form along the hill tracts.

11. Cenozoic Fault Basin:
• Rift zones of Narmada, Purna & Tapti are good sources of GW
with 80 - 160m thick alluvial cover of sand, silt and clay.

12. Ganga- Brahmaputra alluvial
Province:
• Largest and rich GW province;
• Hard basements & slopes :10 - 30 degrees;
• 3 distinct belts:
– Bhabar of Talus material
– Tarai of water bearing gravel, sand & pebble with silt & clay;
– The axial belt comprising of stratified fine gravel deposited by river.
Yield upto 100 - 300 cu.m / hr.

13. Himalayan Higland Province:
• Highly folded and faulted sedimentary rocks of Palaeozoic to
Cenozoic.
• Sandstone, limestone & shale and their metamorphic equivalents.
• Traversed by gorges and valley of sediments and act as conduits
alluvial province.
• Springs are common; If alluvium is thick wells too forms to yield
100 - 200 cu.m /hr.

14. Thank you!